


Blu e giallo

by Bernardina



Category: Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, At least I call it fluff, Fluff, M/M, a bit of feels cause this is me, ermal is in gay panic, which is nothing new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-06-03 13:48:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19465285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bernardina/pseuds/Bernardina
Summary: Ermal's life of a light magician had been pretty good until his powers started getting out of control, putting at stake not only his performance at the town's festival but also his friendship with a certain water magician who also happens to be the cause of Ermal's troubles.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raisedtokeepquiet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raisedtokeepquiet/gifts).



> Hey! It's been quite some time since I last posted something. But now I'm back with whatever this mess is xD  
> It started as a little thing for a friend, and I originally didn't intend to publish it, but why not? The ? in the chapter count is there only cause I don't know into how many chapters I would divide the fic, it's probably gonna be something between 4 and 6.  
> Hope you like this <3

Two weeks until the festival.

Ermal was nervously pacing around the magic shop, which now seemed so little with all these fragile bottles and open drawers on the way. Every year the locals participated in the festival dedicated to the town foundation and showed their talents. Which meant a special performance of magicians. Ermal loved that time of a year, especially because he could see how the little children’s faces light up, when the yellow sparkling energy bursts from his hands, forming different shapes. Most of other magicians relied on tricks that amused the audience - sudden disappearances, finding objects in the places they were definitely not put into or lifting things from the ground with enormous strength. And while Ermal didn’t mind that and, in fact, secretly liked these performances, he felt like this wasn’t the true purpose of magic. This could be seen in a circus. He wasn’t opposed of circuses, but he knew they existed for the sake of a show. He didn’t want to make a show. He wanted to tell stories, play with the lights and colours like you would play a melody, capture not only the audience’s attention but their hearts as well, make them feel something other than excitement of being entertained.

However, now he wasn’t sure if doing that was possible anymore. If he could take part in the festival at all. Maybe it wasn’t too late to decline in a polite way without raising suspicions? But he looked forward to performing so much… And in a few days he could be standing on the stage, watching the brightness of thousands little stars he created reflect in the wide open eyes of five-year olds and their parents, more sceptical but not hard to win over.

_If only his magic hadn’t started to get out of control._

The first time it happened was when he was walking along the seashore, staring at the waves and picking up some seashells to… well, to do something with them. He always told himself he’d decorate the shop with little accessories made out of them, but in the end he either made some sloppy but cute necklaces for children or put the seashells in the top right drawer of his table and occasionally took them out and observed carefully, thinking back to the time when he was a little boy competing with his siblings in picking as many shells as possible for a short trip to the beach. Suddenly he heard a splash and turned to the direction of the noise. There, knelt on the sand, was Fabrizio, the magician Ermal admired the most, since his views on magic were similar to Ermal’s. Fabrizio believed magic had a greater purpose than being a source of entertainment and another sort of medicine. He sometimes teased Ermal about his love for visual effects and _all that glitter_ , to which the other only laughed and pointed out now Fabrizio also liked his performances.

Fabrizio was casting some spells, Ermal got so close he could see the man’s lips moving, muttering something. Though Fabrizio was so concentrated he didn’t notice the footsteps coming closer. A wave came to crash on the shore and with one gesture and a hit of energy impossible to feel by anyone who wasn’t a magician, was sent back. Ermal watched Fabrizio, admired his focus, his determination (even if the reason for that determination was still unclear), when suddenly he saw a yellow heart slowly floating in the air, shining like gold. He looked around but saw no-one who could master this kind of thing. Fabrizio’s attention was still on the sea, so that left… Ermal couldn't finish that thought, as apparently his shifting to find out the source of the new strange magic was too loud.

Fabrizio greeted him with a warm smile and pointed at the sand next to him. Ermal wasn’t fond of the idea of staining his clothes with wet sand, but well, he could always clean it in a matter of seconds. Simple spells could really come in handy sometimes.

“What were you doing? I mean you’re a water magician, I know, and this is water, but still… umm… What’s so funny?” Ermal asked Fabrizio, who was giggling.

“You’re cute when you’re curious”, the man answered, and Ermal felt a strange sensation at the tips of his fingers.

“I’m always curious, you know?” he smirked as usual, trying to get his thoughts away from the weird signals the force inside him was giving.

“Oh, I never denied that.”

The sensation grew a bit stronger, magic tickled Ermal’s hands, asking to be let out. Gaining control at this situation was hard, keeping a normal conversation was even harder, especially for someone with his level of multitasking skills. Fortunately, Fabrizio kept talking, oblivious to what was happening right under his nose.

“Anita wants to go to the beach with her friends from kindergarten. And she is absolutely determined to swim, there’s no way to talk her out of it. So I'm trying to see if my magic is enough to not let anything bad happen. You know these waters, always unpredictable.”

“I’m sure everyone will be fine, especially with you protecting them. Besides, Anita is a badass, got it from her father”, Ermal turned to Fabrizio and immediately regretted it, as the tickling became tingling, and he had to curl his hands into fists to try to regain control. Fabrizio opened his mouth to say something, and Ermal really wanted to hear what it was, but he had to quickly say goodbye and flee, as his head was practically spinning with confusion, slight fear and the wild excitement.

When he made sure there wasn’t anyone near, he relaxed a bit, and it was enough for the magic to break out. Yellow sparkling hearts filled the air. Ermal was mesmerized, he never thought he was capable of doing something like this, the shape, the lights, the way these hearts floated in the air and slowly disappeared in the sky, all was so different from what he was used to while casting spells, it made him feel like a child hearing the call of magic for the first time. But it was terrifying as well, as he didn’t know anything about what he had just felt. He had never heard about such things before, yes, sometimes magicians lost control of their powers but never in this specific way. He did a few simple spells just in case, but nothing about the result was unexpected. If everything else stayed normal, it meant the problem was somewhere else, and he had to find out where.

***

Thirteen days until the festival.

The market was filled with the cacophony of voices and music. The mongers’ morning routine has already started, and there was no way to get past them without at least looking at what they had to offer. What magicians did was an ordinary thing compared to the skills of these people. Ermal almost thought that out loud, when he found himself near the quiet cozy flower shop, a weird colourful scarf wrapped around his neck and a package of freshly baked goods in his hand. He didn't remember buying either of these things.

“Oh, is that for me?” Marco smelled the air, as Ermal walked inside.

“Well, if you’re willing to give me something in return…”

The man smiled at his friend and muttered something under his breath, considering the offer.

“Marco, I swear, if you say it’s a deal…” a blond woman showed up from the other room and glared at Marco but immediately giggled, when the man sent her a kiss.

“Ermal, you know better than to provoke him”, she jokingly scolded the magician.

“Anna, did I ever tell you that you two are possibly the sweetest couple around here?”

“Nice try, but we still are not giving you stuff for free.”

Anna surely knew how to make business. If Ermal had to play by her rules, so be it.

“I need a bouquet of forget-me-nots. A small one, please.”

He knew the way to Anna’s heart was through politeness and confidence, so he tried his best at making exactly that impression. As she went away to collect the flowers and Marco’s gaze followed her and remained at the door she disappeared behind (could they be any more obvious, Ermal giggled quietly. The answer was probably yes), he looked around the shop. This small house was another one of his sanctuaries, places where he truly felt at ease. Whatever his mood was when he was walking outside stayed outside, here the softest sensation of belonging embraced him. Marco usually embraced him too, when he wasn’t carrying huge pots with plants. Ermal’s favourites were the huge tropical flowers with deep dark colour of the leaves. Those were kept in the cozy greenhouse, where visitors were rarely allowed. Every time Ermal walked along the endless path of what seemed like a labyrinth of trees and grass, he thanked destiny for the day Anna came into their town in the middle of nowhere for the famous summer festival and happened to be asked to dance by a very interesting gentleman. And he never failed to remind that interesting gentleman how he was awkwardly standing with his back against the tree, watching the girl in the white flowery dress swaying to the tunes of harp all by herself. Ermal wasn’t usually the one to play matchmaker, but at the sight of his best friend’s shy smile and the way his face flushed when the girl looked at him for a second with something awfully resembling genuine interest, he couldn't ignore Marco’s behaviour anymore. And after pushing Marco forward with what might have or might have not been magic he finally heard the duo enthusiastically chatting about gardening. That fateful evening he received a grateful nod from Marco. Much later he was also given the opportunities to water the flowers in the morning with his friend and get a glimpse of that calm peaceful atmosphere that was concentrated in this place.

“Here you are. I’m sure he’ll love them”, Anna grinned as she handled Ermal the small bouquet carefully tied with a silk light blue ribbon.

He? What? Ermal was taken aback for a second. She couldn't have meant… But the way Anna made an accent on the word love confirmed his suspicions. He sighed deeply in frustration.

“These are for magic, I’ll put them in a vase and use some as herbs later”, he tried to sound as convincing as possible to show her he was absolutely unaffected by her scandalous demeanor. After all, he only said the truth, those were exactly his plans for the flowers, and he only wanted to explain that to her. What he couldn't explain, however, was the way his heart started rapidly beating in his chest as if speaking without words, as if desperately attempting to tell him something important.

“Oh, are you working on a love potion? Trust me, it won’t be needed.” Marco winked at him, and his smirk said it all. Two against one. So unfair.

“Very funny, Marco. Should I remind you how you…”

“No!” Marco screamed immediately. Anna laughed and put one hand on Marco’s shoulder. These two will be the end of him.

***

Twelve days until the festival.

The sunrise was softly caressing the bold green leaves and the shiny colourful stones on the narrow street, as Ermal made his way to the edge of the town and into the forest to collect some herbs. The path was quite short, just exit the old gates and follow the winding road until the sand under your feet changes to grass. Ermal liked the bittersweet sensation that tugged on his heart every time he stepped a foot there. Many years ago he was just a weary traveller in search for a place to belong, a place where he would be useful, needed and hopeful. He was an excellent student in both normal and magical schools, he had already participated in some holiday festivals, tried his hand at healing magic, but it was never enough. Everyone told him a bright future awaits him, but he needed something more concrete, something to be certain about. He still didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up, but his life wasn’t pointless. His mother always said the most important thing was spreading the love and not hate, and he cherished her advice written on a small piece of paper and hidden inside the necklace she gave him when he left.

He wrapped his fingers around the prism shaped crystal in the centre of the necklace and felt the warm welcoming magic inside of it react to his touch and lean closer. Her magic, just enough to always have her near and call her whenever he needed. And now he nervously played with the crystal, unsure if he should just talk with his mother or really _talk_ with her. She was an experienced spellcaster, she has surely seen a case like his, and even if not, she always helped him when he couldn't control his magic or was too careless with it. But what if the answer was something he knew all along? What if everyone was right about… the source of his anxiety? He bit his lip to suppress a soft smile, as he remembered how Marco teased him about Fabrizio. Then his thoughts wandered to Fabrizio himself, his endless sense of protection over his children, his little insecurities hidden behind the confident posture and wise words, his honesty that made him so approachable, even if Ermal was intimidated by him at first. And who wouldn’t be? One of the best magicians of the whole country who could have a life of fame and luxury but instead chose to spend his days shielding the small town from the storms and floods. Ermal remembered the frown on his face, his gaze concentrated on the sea, the veins on his arms becoming more visible as his fingers guided the splashing waves… and a few hearts emerged from Ermal’s hands and circled in the air. He hesitantly let go of the crystal and reached out to one of the hearts. It's surface was soft but not with the softness of fabric or fur, it was something indescribable, so light and barely possible to touch. For a moment all the heaviness of his own heart flew away, only the warm feeling of familiarity was left. He gently blew on the yellow heart, and it floated higher into the sunkissed sky.

He sighed and shook his head, deciding against calling his mother. What had he got himself into? Had anyone else noticed the changes in his behaviour? Had Fabri noticed? Most importantly, how to get rid of it? The form his magic had chosen was beautiful, but it could result into him fully losing control over his magic, not to mention ruining his friendship with Fabrizio. He couldn't afford that. And if he doesn’t participate in the festival, people will start asking questions. Out of pure concern, of course, they won't mean anything bad, but it doesn't make the situation easier.

He ran his index finger against the ornament of the gates, but the cold material didn’t hold any answers. Ermal turned around and decided to take another path, the one that went through the beach. It would take him longer to get to the destination, but he needed time to think and hopefully come to a conclusion. The sea breeze embraced him, gently pulling the strands of curls away from his face, and he desperately tried not to associate it with a certain water magician, not to imagine a pair of tattooed hands caressing his cheeks and running through his hair, not to wonder how would the skin of these hands feel under his lips…

Loud squeaking interrupted his thoughts, and his heart almost stopped as he recognised the voice of the child he knew so well. Fresh memories flashed in his head. That’s right. Anita’s trip to the beach. Did it really have to be today? And if Anita was there, that meant…

“Ermal! Buongiorno!” Fabrizio almost ran to him and pulled him in a hug. His open shirt barely covered his chest, and Ermal had to mentally slap himself to stop thinking about the exposed skin pressing against him. Fabrizio smelled of the sea and freedom, the two things Ermal could never live without. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to silence the quiet persuasive voice in his head to just allow it to happen, let it out, make a small gesture and watch the golden hearts shine under the bright hot sun.

“Thanks for rescuing me. Two kids are normally enough, but eight of them are too much even for me”, Fabrizio nodded at the sea where little boys and girls were playing. Two of them were swimming after the others, making sounds which were supposed to be threatening.

“No, Marti! Go! A shark ate you, you’re dead now!” one of the girls was pushing a boy to the shore. As Ermal looked closer, he immediately noticed the big brown eyes staring at him, and soon “the shark” had completely forgotten about her food and ran to him.

“Ermal!!!”

He laughed as he picked Anita up and carefully twirled her around. She embraced his neck tightly, putting all her strength there, and if Fabrizio hadn’t rescued him in time, he would have shared the fate of poor Marti.

When Anita ran back to the sea where her friends were loudly debating who gets to be the shark in their next game, Fabrizio looked down at the small basket in Ermal’s hand and then back at the magician, his eyebrows raised in slight confusion.

“Sorry, I was just passing through. As hard as it sounds, guess you’ll have to survive without me for a bit”, Ermal smirked at him. The shock of his own reaction hit him a second later. How could he be panicking so much and still having the power to crack jokes?

“And here I thought you were so generous to offer you help with these sea predators”, Fabrizio chuckled and hugged him again. That embrace was surely way stronger than Anita’s, and Ermal had to cough several times for the other man to get the hint and weaken his hold. God, what is it with Mobricis and suffocating people? Must be a special sign of affection.

“Me being busy isn’t a good reason to choke me to death, in case you didn’t know that.”

“What if I say I can make it up to you?”

“What if I say I’m interested?”

Oh. Perhaps that came out less subtle than he intended. How Ermal wished to hide his face in his curls right now, but even that wouldn’t save him from embarrassment.

“Come here in the evening, you know the time I’m usually here. We can swim for a while, you’ll get to watch the sunset. What do you think?”

Ermal thought that Fabrizio smiling almost shyly while suggesting some of Ermal’s favourite things in the world was a sight he’d like to see more. However, Fabrizio certainly didn’t need to know that.

“Sure, I’d love to.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ermal tries to find the cure for his magic problems and goes on his not-a-date with Fabrizio.

The heavy wooden door slowly creaked, when Ermal put all his strength to push it open and squeeze through the small space. This old library was a wonderful example of medieval architecture, the townspeople cherished it and viewed it as their biggest treasure. As long as there was no need to enter the building. Ermal couldn’t count the times he cursed these ancient walls for not letting him in and making him cringe as the loud sharp sound the door made reached his ears, more used to the gentle notes of a piano than to disastrous screeching. And he wasn’t the only one. The librarian sighed deeply and hissed, clearly displeased with the sudden disturbance. He tore his gaze from the book he was reading and looked at the new visitor, his smile turning from a small polite one to a wide grin.

“Oh, Ermal! Haven’t seen you here in a while. To what do I owe the great honour of you visiting my sanctuary?”

“God, Andrea, stop talking like you are as old as this building. And good afternoon to you too”, Ermal patted his friend’s shoulder and glanced at the open book on Andrea’s desk. “Myths again?”

“What can I say, I love legends, and this place has many good ones. You might be interested too, there’s a lot of light magic mentioned.”

Light magic, right. That was what he came here for. He needed to figure out what was wrong with him and more importantly, how to deal with it. Maybe he could still save his powers.

“Oh, and this one is about the sea and the sun! The sunset one. They love each other and watch each other during the day only to meet and finally be together when the sun sets. Water and light always near. You know, it reminds me of you and-”

“No”, Ermal quickly interrupted. These talks were embarrassing in any circumstances, but now hearing such words was ten times worse, as watching the sunset with Fabrizio was his main plan today, and he didn’t need any romantic images in his head.

“I’m actually looking for a book.”

“Of course, one can’t go to his friend without a valid reason”, Andrea sighed dramatically and then giggled as he met unamused Ermal’s gaze. This job had a weird influence on him, as Ermal noticed many times, but it also seemed to made Andrea happy, and that was more important than any strange remarks.

“I need something about shapes. Like, how you make them from the light, why they appear and…” he stopped before he could get too close to revealing the awkward truth. Besides, he wouldn't give Andrea the satisfaction of being right about his love for Fabrizio. Not today.

“Hmmm, something for the festival, I assume?” the librarian asked while making some confusing signs with his hands. His friend’s ability to do magic that required concentration and make a small talk at the same time never failed to amaze Ermal.

“You know, I’m very excited for your performance. Last year it was wonderful, far better than anything else I’ve seen.”

Ermal’s heart started beating faster, as he hugged is friend from behind. Last year was a stressful journey full of anxiety and fear. The theme of the festival was connected to family, and Ermal dedicated a song to his mother. He had intended to keep it a surprise until the day she and his siblings arrived, but with the preparations and messy schedule he didn’t have a chance to do anything more than greet them before running backstage to solve another little problem that occured last minute. During the performance his hands were sweating, he was afraid his knees would buckle any second, and if not for his friends’ encouraging nods and the light in their eyes, the light which nature had nothing to do with spells, he wouldn't have made it until the end without messing up. When he was met with the loud applause, he finally dared to search for the other familiar faces in the huge crowd. Three familiar figures were standing a few feet away from everyone, his mother had one arm on Sabina’s waist and was wiping away tears with the other. And he stopped caring about everything else.

“Ermal?”

The magician turned to face his friend. The look on Andrea’s face was puzzled, but little flickers of mischief were dancing in his eyes.

“Lost in thought again?” he winked and giggled. “I found the books that might be suitable, but there’s a lot of them, what exactly do you need? Probably not a tutorial how to make an orb.”

“I…” Ermal paused. How much should he reveal? It’s not like Andrea doesn’t know about his feelings, but it’s not like Ermal is willing to admit them either.

“I need the symbolism, the meaning. Even if they are very simple. In fact, that would be better.”

“Your wish is my command”, Andrea chuckled and gestured at one of the huge bookcases that had been situated here for longer than any of them lived. Ermal’s back still tensed whenever he walked too close to these massive wooden monsters, one careless touch - and he would be buried alive in the avalanche of books. Not how he pictured the end of his life.

A few books moved and then flew across the library to carefully position themselves on the edge of Andrea’s desk. Ermal thought he would get used to the librarian’s pranks by now, but they nevertheless managed to catch him by surprise after all this time.

“Shit, you scared me! Can’t you make them fly any slower?”

“No cursing in the library or I’ll have to ask you to leave, gentleman”, Andrea knitted his brows in a desperate attempt to look threatening. Ermal held back a giggle, his friend was too adorable no matter how hard he tried not to be at certain times.

“Sorry, Vige, won’t happen again.”

“Oh, we both know you’re lying now. Just take your books”, Andrea laughed.

Ermal took a seat and started flipping through the pages in hope to find something similar to his problem. “Common issues while spellcasting”? Sounds close but not quite right. “Beginners guide to light magic”? What?

“Do you think I’m a primary scholar, huh?” he tried to raise an eyebrow at his friend (unsuccessfully, judging by Andrea’s obnoxious chuckle).

“I have the right to remain silent.”

Ermal rolled his eyes and returned to reading. Meaning and symbolism of shapes? Looks promising. After learning that a heart, without doubts, symbolises love and that it is one of the easiest figures to cast (he huffed at these words and caught a confused side glance from Vige), he put the book aside. Nothing seemed to help, which left him with two opportunities. Either he endlessly searched the library on his own with a slim chance to stumble upon the right information or he explained to Andrea in detail what exactly he needed. No, not the latter one for sure. He couldn't survive any more teasing. Wanting to distract himself from the necessity of making a decision, he returned to reading about symbols. There, in the “fun fact” section he found something he would call anything but fun. Uncontrollable release of heart magic in front of a specific person is a sign of hidden feelings, and the best solution is confessing to them. Of fucking course it is. Apart from this, there were some other methods to regain control of his abilities.

“I’ll bring this one home for a few days. Thanks for your help. Though I still think you should get up sometimes instead of making everything levitate where you want”, he said half-genuinely half-sarcastically. He was hopeful and grateful to Andrea, but missing a chance to roast his friends was such a waste.

***

When the door had closed behind him with a soft click that was so good to hear after the annoying sounds the library greeted him with, Ermal immediately opened the page he had been reading before and drew a couple of deep breaths to stop his heart from racing. It didn’t do a good job, but at least it was something.

The book was, obviously, old but, luckily for him, not ancient. He won’t heat the end of it, if it gets slightly damaged. With another sigh he made a mental note to concentrate and carefully read what the author offered him as a solution.

“Ok, so I should think about the object of my fantasies… Who even phrases it like that?” he nervously giggled but stopped himself. Concentrate. Yes, that’s what he needs to do.

His thoughts immediately jumped to the unexpected meeting this morning, to the tight grasp of strong hands around his waist, to the look full of love and pride with which Fabrizio watched Anita splash in the water. The familiar tingling didn’t surprise him anymore. With a simple gesture he let the hearts fill the room, just as he was instructed to. If these weren’t his powers, he’d have to close his eyes at the sight, because each heart was sparkling, spreading blindingly white and yellow lights, so every corner of the room was clear, including the huge web near his closet and a startled spider desperately searching for a darker spot.

“You are lucky I have more important things to deal with”, Ermal muttered. The spider seemed to get the message and moved out of sight.

The next point in the instruction was far less pleasant. Now he had to do the opposite thing, stop all his thoughts about Fabrizio and make the magic weaken and disappear. The black letters were mocking him, staring at him with a satisfied smirk as his thoughts were going in circles and always returning to the only thing he shouldn't think about. The biggest hearts were slowly fading away, as the smallest ones were falling on his bed or getting tangled in his curls. He almost threw the book against the wall in frustration and didn’t do it only because he valued the effort Andrea put into keeping it in the good shape. The mirror on the wall reflected a disappointed, irritated man surrounded by magical figures floating towards him. Ermal whispered the spell and the next moment only the sunlight crawled up the walls, embracing him like a mother would hold her child when he cried. And today he didn’t want to remember for how long he had been no longer a little boy in need of comfort, so he closed his eyes and let the warmth caress his face. 

***

The sun had almost set, and its rays painted the sky different shades of orange and purple. The rays drowned in the sea, making it glow with invitation to bask in the soothing sensation of warm water everywhere around you, to let yourself be free from the solid ground and all that remained ashore and just give in to the flow, let it carry you whenever the sea wishes. Sometimes he found it dangerous, and he knew there were valid reasons for being cautious, but tonight the waters were calm and friendly, as if they were waiting for him, longing for him.

He was waiting too. Waiting until his breathing becomes steady and the red hue caused by the cool air and fast walking (as he tried to convince himself) leaves his cheeks for them to regain their usual colour. And he was _longing_. Scenarios of what may happen had been on his mind since Fabrizio suggested this, no, not a date. All of them included some common details, and while Ermal was very pleased with the thought of them becoming reality, he knew the chances were very small and the stakes were extremely high.

With a dreamy sigh he tilted his head up to look at the sky. In the darkest parts of it, the parts which the sun had already kissed goodbye for another night, little white spots were shining. One day in his youth Ermal was sitting on the beach after a magic practice and writing in his diary about something he couldn't quite remember anymore. He turned his gaze to the small lovely sandcastle he built with his siblings earlier, then at the sea where waves were telling him a story he couldn't understand but his heart could, and then up. _The stars are freckles on the face of the sky._ He wrote this thought on the cover of his diary, and every time he opened the book and flipped through the pages it was there, reminding him of the beauty of the world he lived in. On the darkest days where his past haunted him or when he couldn't find a source of light within himself and it resulted into failures at spellcasting he looked at the words, traced the letters with his fingers and let his mind take him back to the beach. The stars are freckles.

Now it reminded him not only of the early memories he held dear but of the recent ones. The image of another face that also had beautiful freckles appeared in front of his mind eye, and he shyly looked down trying to hide a warm smile. There was still some time for him to prepare himself for being alone with Fabrizio for a few hours. God, he really needed to get it together.

When he almost reached the spot where they agreed to meet, he saw a dark silhouette walking along the seashore, the waves softly caressing the man’s feet. Ermal wished he could see the man’s expression, the look he had when he stared at the sea, the smile that was an answer to the breeze gently messing with his already untameable hair... Wait, he could do that. Indeed, he could.

With a move of his hand and a soft whisper he created a little light orb and blew on it like one would blow a kiss to his beloved. Although he couldn't dwell on this idea for too long as he needed his concentration to direct the orb. When it came closer to Fabrizio, his face was finally visible, and was that a sight. He was wistful, but the sweet smile and the warmth in his eyes hinted at the thoughts being pleasant. Ermal couldn't get a proper look because Fabrizio had noticed the sudden change of lightning and was one second away from discovering Ermal’s location. Trying not to giggle, the light magician pointed at the orb, and it exploded into harmless golden fireworks.

“Is this your new way of greeting people?” Fabrizio flashed a grin at Ermal, and his gaze revealed he knew exactly where in the shadows Ermal was trying to hide.

“Only the ones whose startled expression is worth it”, the magician stepped out of the darkness and walked towards Fabrizio.

Oh, seeing the shock on the water magician’s face even for a second was really nice. How many other expressions on that face did Ermal want to stare at, he was sure every single one of them would take his breath away. These thoughts left a tingling sensation in his chest and not to embarrass himself before Fabri and him even went into the water he started taking out the contents of the basket he brought. Two towels for both of them to be comfortable, though the image of them tightly pressing against each other so they could fit under just one was very tempting, his diary he never left the house without, two bottles of water and…

“Don’t tell me you have sandwiches”, the laughter in Fabri’s voice was almost offensive.

“Ok, my lips are sealed”, Ermal daringly stared back at the man. Yes, he can make amazing sandwiches and he knows he will probably get hungry after swimming, so what about it?

“I hope it isn’t the only reason you came here?” Fabrizio was still smiling, but now there were curious undertones in his voice, and his gaze was fixated on Ermal, making the latter desperately force himself not to melt under the look of those shining brown eyes.

“I know, I know, but can we watch the view at first? Just for a while?”

And there were oh so many things he meant by _the view…_

Fabrizio softly ruffled his curls and threw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Ermal rested his head on Fabri’s shoulder and breathed in the scent of sea breeze that followed Fabrizio wherever he went. There were other smells, also the ones of natural kind, they reminded him of the calm park where he loved to go as a child to feed the birds, of the wild forest flowers that you won’t find at any famous flower shop but that were put into little bouquets he bought from Marco so many times, of the delicate wood of his first guitar his mother gave him when he graduated the magical school as the best student of his class, of the noise he heard when he put a huge seashell to his ear. Fabrizio was the most perfumed man on Earth for sure, but he smelled like _home._

The sun has already closed its eyes and was ready to sleep, the last rays were caressing the scenery, bringing orange and yellow to this world that almost drowned in the deep dark blue. Without thinking Ermal raised his arm to let the warm colours dance at the tips of his fingers. When it happened, he smiled in satisfaction of feeling the magic inside him respond to the soft caresses of the sun.

“Can’t spend a minute without your light, huh?”

Ermal turned around and saw the amusement mixed with gentleness in Fabrizio’s gaze. God, how much he wanted to kiss him now.

“Like you can ever leave the water. Should I remind you where you called me?” instead of wasting time on awkward dreams the magician gestured at the sea and chuckled. Funny how both of them were so attached to their powers.

“If you’re so aware of where you are, why wear so many clothes?”

Ermal almost choked on the air he breathed. Did Fabrizio just…

“Or are you going to swim in your pants?”

Oh. So it was about swimming. He seriously needs to get his head out of the gutter. It’s a good thing Fabrizio was too busy observing the sea otherwise he would’ve noticed Ermal’s panicked look, and who knows what he could’ve assumed. Probably something right.

“Can you be any more obvious?” Ermal mentally scolded himself and decided to distract himself from the scary possibilities by following Fabri’s advice and getting rid of the unnecessary clothes he didn’t even know why he wore. When he took his shirt off and threw it on the sand, a strange sensation caused shivers to run down his back. He turned around and saw Fabrizio watching him with half lidded eyes and a little smirk on his face. However, when the water magician noticed Ermal looking back at him, he averted his gaze in a manner that looked almost… shy? Fabrizio was watching him undress himself and almost blushed? That was too much to unpack. Probably just his mind playing tricks on him.

When the waves tickled their toes and their feet got covered in wet sand, Ermal shuddered. The time when he spent almost every night in the sea’s embrace had passed without him noticing, and his skin got used to having fabric to cover it from the cool winds. Fabrizio hummed something and put his arm on Ermal’s back, rubbing soothing circles, and the warmth started spreading. Without thinking the light magician snuggled closer and let out a pleased sound he hoped wasn’t too loud. To a stranger’s eye they didn’t look like there were any friendship borders between them (or any other borders for that matter), but having Fabrizio’s fingers on his back felt so right that Ermal couldn't care less.

They stepped deeper into the water, and, to his surprise, it wasn’t freezing cold, just a bit cool to tease his sensitive skin. He turned to Fabrizio in confusion. The man nodded. When did he even have time to change the temperature? But the question was left unanswered, as with a splash Fabrizio jumped into the water, his whole body moving under the surface. When his head showed above the waters, he was already far.

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

Ermal swam to the other man and quickly found out that the temperature was warmer only next to the shore. Fabrizio laughed at Ermal’s annoyed expression, and, oh, that was the last straw. He will pay for that.

When he was only a couple of meters away from Fabrizio and saw clearly that the other magician was swimming in his direction, he turned away and screamed,

“Race you to the tree!” he pointed at the huge tree piercing the night skies with the sharp ends of its leaves. “And no magic!”

As Fabrizio’s laughter died behind him, Ermal focused on the goal ahead. He was always a good swimmer, he even won a few school competitions, and his mother put his trophies on a special shelf between Rinald’s paintings and framed pictures of little Sabina casting her first spells. Sometimes he wished there was something else to put in there, something for his family to be proud of him. This year they were coming to see him perform, as usual. It would be a shame to back away from participating now all because of his stupid hearts problem. But he had to turn his attention back to the race as his “stupid hearts problem” was now chasing him with extra force, and Ermal was nearly out of breath. Swimming was even harder, his legs refused to move and then stopped moving completely as two hands caught them and held tightly. _No, he didn’t._

Ermal splashed Fabrizio, but he just giggled and didn’t let go. If Ermal stayed still for a few seconds and then kicked the hands off his legs, he could break free, but he realized he quite liked the touch.

“You know that’s against the rules?” he turned around and gave Fabri a challenging look.

“It’s not magic, just a trick you’d have been prepared for if you had paid more attention to your surroundings”, the magician grinned smugly and moved his hands to Ermal’s waist.

Despite Fabrizio being a water magician, his eyes now were full of fire, and Ermal didn’t like how his own body reacted to the sight. After all, _he_ had the powers of light here, he shouldn’t be melting under this gaze. 

“Ok, you caught me, what now?” he said playfully while wrapping his arms around Fabrizio’s neck and staring right into his eyes with joy upon seeing a little glint of shock there. He licked his lips as Fabrizio’s fingers traced some lines on his wet skin. They were so close, their foreheads were almost touching, and Ermal was out of breath for a totally different reason than before. His hands were pulling Fabrizio closer, his eyes couldn't stop staring at Fabrizio’s full slightly open lips, his heart was racing, and that race he couldn’t win. He lost control of his own body, and somehow his magic sensed it and woke up from its fragile slumber. No. Not now. The sparkling yellow hearts are too visible on the night sky, and even if they are behind Fabrizio, he’s going to see the light coming from them, and then Ermal is screwed. So Ermal mastered his most mischievous smile and pushed Fabri away. He kept swimming towards the tree, though the only thing he wanted was to feel Fabrizio’s lips on his own. He looked back and laughed at the confusion on the magician’s face. Ok, maybe this was just a tiny bit worth it.

Fabrizio regained control quicker than Ermal expected, and the light magician blamed it on being surrounded by the source of his powers. Though the short moment when he could still see the flustered face of the man who was usually so composed had made a very pleasant memory. Something he would think of while lying in his bed with his guitar in his hands and softly singing one of these love songs he would never admit to like out loud. At least not to his teasing friends and not to Fabrizio. However, he didn’t have time to dwell on these thoughts, as the main character of his dreams was now reaching the shore at the incredible speed. Ermal put all his effort into swimming, but it wasn’t enough, and when his feet felt the sand beneath them, Fabrizio was already near the tree, water droplets making foreign ornaments on his skin, ornaments Ermal wanted to trace with his fingers just as much as the many (too many) tattoos. With an annoyed huff the light magician stepped on the beach.

“That was only because you feel powerful here”, he exhaled, still trying to catch his breath and not to fall on the sand. That wouldn't look too graceful.

“So as the winner”, Fabrizio smirked at him, and Ermal rolled his eyes, “I can demand a prize.”

His voice was low, and Ermal felt shivers running down his spine. He could blame it on the sudden cold, yes, this was a valid excuse. He desperately shut off every little prediction of what prize the man might want.

“Give me one of your sandwiches?”

Ermal tilted his head back in an uncontrollable laughter. Fabrizio could ask for anything, literally anything, and that’s his request? A sandwich?

“Sorry, don’t remember bringing any”, the light magician winked remembering their earlier banter.

“Stronzo.”

Fabrizio walked towards the sea and jumped into the waters. Again? People with water powers weren’t from this world, for sure.

“Join me? We still need to get back to these sandwiches you didn’t bring.”

Instead of taking steps into the dark blue sea Ermal lay down and shook his head.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He was still too tired from the race and the unbearable tension that filled the air every time his gaze met Fabrizio’s. Though his stomach reacted to the word “sandwiches” quite loudly, so he knew eventually he’ll have to get up.

“Don’t make me carry you”, the familiar voice with a hint of a smile reached his ears just when Ermal closed his eyes to rest for a while. The perspective was indeed tempting, Fabrizio’s warm arms around him, so much skin contact… No. He shouldn't. He remembered the last time something like this happened all too well. It’s a miracle his magic hadn’t exposed him already, especially with so many chances for his heartbeat to turn into a warning alarm.

“I’ll swim but _slowly_ ”, Ermal stressed the last word and then joined Fabrizio who was patiently waiting for him. Fabrizio gently guided him the whole journey through the caressing waves, occasionally asking if he felt good enough to continue and if he preferred to get back to the shore and walk the distance instead (the offer to carry him was silent but still remained).

On the shore Ermal collapsed on the ground immediately, and it took Fabrizio some time to convince him to move a bit and settle on a soft towel. The water magician wrapped another towel around Ermal who was too tired to complain. He closed his eyes and let himself just relax for a while, listening to the gentle crashing of waves and night birds chirping loudly somewhere deep in the forest. He smiled when he felt a hand stroking his wet curls, combing them. If every time he rested his head against anything resembling a pillow was accompanied by Fabrizio’s tender caresses, he might get more hours of sleep. Heat started rising to his cheeks, and he hoped against hope that his blush was well hidden by the darkness.

When Fabrizio’s hand disappeared and a cold touch of the breeze replaced it, Ermal opened his eyes. He was greeted by hundreds of little stars flickering at him, sending small bits of their infinite magic to run up his arms and then down his chest until they reached his excitedly beating heart. He lazily turned to the side and witnessed something he wasn’t ready for. Fabrizio’s wonderful, gorgeous, irresistibly beautiful hands held a half of his sandwich, and the little smile on the man’s face told Ermal there would be even less quite soon.

“Hey, we didn't agree on this!”

“We did, and I’m rightfully receiving my prize”, Fabrizio chuckled without even granting Ermal a look. _Stronzo_.

The light magician rushed to his basket and with rising annoyance found there not four but two pieces of food carefully wrapped into shining paper.

“That’s your second one! You thief!” he shouted while pointing a finger to the other man who was clearly enjoying himself a little too much. Because sure, Fabrizio could steal his heart, but his sandwiches? That was unacceptable.

Fabrizio chuckled once more and then quickly put the remaining piece of a sandwich in his mouth. Ermal huffed and crossed his arms. Unbelievable.

“Look on the bright side, you still have two.”

“And you’re not getting your hands on them.”

After Ermal finished his sandwiches (which set him in a much better mood) he noticed how quiet Fabrizio became. The other man was gazing at the sea, wrinkles appearing on his forehead, his fingers gently stroking his beard. And Ermal could stare at that profile forever, but he couldn't help being slightly worried.

“Bizio?” he asked, the nickname only used for their softest moments.

“Mmm?”

“Is something bothering you?” Ermal got closer and put his hand on Fabrizio’s thigh, a gesture of support that stopped being awkward so long ago.

“Not bothering, but there are a few things.”

Ermal gently squeezed Fabrizio’s thigh, encouraging him to continue.

“I think Anita has powers.”

Now that was anything but what he expected to hear. Though there wasn’t anything bad about it? Ermal was a child of a magician as well, and it never seemed to worry his mother, neither with him, nor with Sabina. Maybe because his mother had more crucial things to worry about, but now wasn’t the right time to reminisce on what has changed for good.

“She loves the sea, and she gets very excited around snow or ice. I think I saw her whispering something near the pond in the park, and I swear the water changed colour for a second. I know what you’d say, nothing to be scared of, just teach her? But I don’t know. Magic is dangerous, especially our magic, water is an uncontrollable force no matter how skillful you are. And that means Giada also will need to be extra careful while watching Ani. And Lib, he’s getting closer to that age - you know what I mean - what if it gets to his head? Most people here can cast magic.”

“Fabri”, Ermal put an arm around the man’s shoulder and kissed his cheek. Later he would get the strong rush of magic just by thinking about this, but now he had more important things to take care of than tingling at the tips of his fingers. “You are an amazing father. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. I know you love your children equally whether or not they can cast spells. And who said powers are only a magic thing? Libero plays football better than any kid I know, he’s smart, he’s curious, he’s interested in the world around us. He’s a good kid, a very good kid, and you won’t let him forget it, of that I’m absolutely sure. But if you want advice from someone more experienced, you can talk to my mother. She’s coming to the festival with Rinald and Sabina.”

“Rinald… He’s an artist, right? That portrait of your family you have in your house, it’s his work?”

Ermal bit his lip to stop himself from grinning. The drawing had been there with him only for a few months, and Fabrizio has only seen it a couple of times as they usually hung out at the beach or somewhere else away from houses and busy streets. Nevertheless, he remembered.

“Yes, and I’d say his art is better than any spell I’ve ever casted. It doesn't really matter if your heart calls for magic or something else.”

The tingling became stronger. His own heart was well aware of what it was calling for right now.

“Thank you, Ermal”, Fabrizio pulled him closer and left a lingering kiss on the area dangerously close to his neck. “You’re truly a ray of light.”

Oh. His heart sped up at these words. Ermal’s eyes widened as he watched in horror how a single golden heart made its way up in the air. Luckily, behind Fabrizio’s back. Panicked, Ermal quickly pointed at the proof of his otherwise well hidden (or so he thought) feelings, and the heart exploded into yellow glitter.

“What are you doing there?” he could hear laughter in Fabrizio’s voice.

“Oh, nothing. I just thought I saw something in the shadows”, Ermal went with the first excuse that crossed his mind.

“Now who’s a paranoid old man?” Fabrizio had the audacity to laugh at his embarrassed self. Why did he even put up with this teasing bastard? And no, he very much didn’t want his brain to offer answers to that question.

“You are”, he said somewhere in the crook of Fabrizio’s neck which seemed to be the best spot to hide his blush from the rest of the world. Even if the rest of the world contained only one man whose skin was too close to Ermal’s lips now.

“Speaking of the festival…” Fabrizio trailed off, and Ermal tensed. Speaking of the festival was the last thing he wanted to do now. “Do you what you’ll perform? I know you usually plan it earlier, but-”

“I have no idea”, Ermal said quickly, probably too quickly for someone who was supposed to keep a low profile about his magic problems. Especially in front of the cause of these problems.

“Oh.”

Fabrizio let out a long sigh.

“It’s very last minute, and I completely understand if you don’t want to get into this, now or at all, but… Would you like to perform together?”

Ermal’s eyes widened. Being on stage with Fabri, doing magic together, feeling the other’s energy and letting it intertwine with his own, it sounded like a dream come true. And in any other time he would immediately agree, a bit awkwardly and nervously but nevertheless happily.

“It’s ok if you want to do this alone. Or not to do anything. It’s just an idea that’s been in my head for a long time, I’m not demanding anything from you”, Fabrizio said softly, his hands coming to tug on his already messy hair - a sign of anxiety, as Ermal noticed at some point of his lovesick observations of the other man.

“I want this, I really do!” he hurried to break the silence before Fabrizio’s train of thoughts could take the other man outside of Italy.

A long hug and a peck to his forehead (if only these lips went a little lower), he was melting in the embrace, the water magician’s voice in his ears like the sweetest song. Oh wait. Fabrizio was talking. To him. And now he was waiting for an answer.

“Yes?” Ermal said the first thing that came to his mind. Honestly, he would say yes to any Fabrizio’s suggestion, especially when these eyes were looking at him so attentively and these lips were slowly curling into a genuine smile.

“Yes what?”

“Yes everything”, Ermal wanted to reply, but he bit his tongue and only shrugged, his shoulders too tense for it to look natural.

“When do you want us to meet so we can come up with something and rehearse? And maybe train for a while too? I missed our earlier battles.”

The warm feeling was spreading in Ermal’s chest; he missed their training, too. Fabrizio flexing his muscles to demonstrate that he was here to win, the black shirt wet from water exploding when colliding with light, resting together with their backs against a huge tree and their arms thrown around each other’s shoulders, yes, this practice was very useful for his magic skills. Funny how back then he sometimes missed attacks because he was too busy staring at his opponent mouthing the words of a spell, but he didn’t realise how gone for Fabrizio he was. It’s strange that there were no hearts. He needs to find out more about that.

“I’m ready whenever you are. I’m not the one too busy saving the world”, he winked at Fabrizio, and though the other man couldn’t see it, Ermal was sure he sensed it in the words said with a slightly more playful tone than what Ermal would normally allow himself.

“Oh, stop it. Your job is no less important than mine. You heal people.”

“If you weren't there to save them from the storms, there would be nobody to heal.”

They walked home in a comfortable silence disturbed only by the rhythm of their steps against the pavement. The town at night was a whole different place, no usual cacophony of voices, music and cracking of one more window that had an unfortunate meeting with a football; no rays of sunshine reflected on the surface of the water in the little fountain, the local dating spot; only the coolness of the air and the gentle swaying of a sparkling little orb lighting their way. Ermal didn’t register the moment his fingers intertwined with Fabrizio’s, but a short look down and a sudden realization almost made him lose control of the orb. They missed a couple of turns on purpose and took the longer road through the narrow streets. Ermal had to hold back a disappointed sigh, when they reached a small yellow house, and the gentle buttercups in the cozy garden turned their heads to the light.

“I’ll meet you tomorrow morning, if you’re okay with that”, Fabrizio broke the silence.

Ermal nodded with a smile.

“Do you want me to wait for you here or at our spot?”

_Their spot_. It sounded like they had a secret place to get away from noisy people and the chaotic rush of time, to steal a few peaceful moments together where only birds building their nests on the trees could see the two men kissing without a care in the world. He wished it all was true and Fabrizio greeted him with a peck on the lips instead of a water bubble thrown in his direction.

“Y-yes, the spot is better.”

Fabrizio smirked at his response that probably was more nervous than suitable for a casual talk between two friends.

“Then it’s settled. Goodnight, Ermal”, he pulled the light magician in a hug that lingered just a tiny moment longer than it usually did. Or maybe it was another silly joke of Ermal’s mind. Whatever the truth was, he had no wish to know it, instead he leaned to the touch and let himself relax, just standing there with his eyes closed and his hands daring to draw little patterns on Fabrizio’s back.

“Goodnight, Bizio.”

That night a short glance to the book lying on the table and illuminated by the moonlight, as if it was a sign from the great magic itself, was enough to decide against doing any more exercises. He felt too free to build borders for himself. At least for a few hours of peace and, he dared to say, happiness. At least until the first ray of sunlight wakes him up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ermal's morning meeting with Fabrizio becomes much more than just a training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos/commented, this make me very very happy!💜💜  
> I updated chapter count, and yes, the next chapter will be the last one. After all it was originally meant to be a one-shot, but the au didn't want to let me go xD  
> Hope you like it <3

Eleven days until the festival.

If the sun had a human form, different from the one portrayed in the books children get on their first day at magic school, today it would be a little girl with the most contagious laugh and the most mischievous smile. The girl that can’t stay still for too long and runs barefoot to her next destination without ever knowing what that destination is, the girl that is easily angered but forgets about feeling offended just as easily, the girl that can’t wait to grow up but never will. At school maestra Margherita used to say the way one sees the source of their powers determines the way their magic is casted. You only call for the magic, the response you get is not your doing. You should be careful in what you ask for and never demand, even the strongest magician doesn’t control the world. Ermal remembered these lessons as if yesterday he was sitting behind the wooden desk with someone’s name carved on it and listening to the tales about the greatest spellcasters while writing notes on a piece of paper he carried specially for this purpose. After the bell he came to the teacher who was waiting for him with a warm smile and curiosity sparking in her eyes. Each time he asked the questions and she answered in detail, explaining everything he was confused about. He never liked talking in class. She knew.

“I can’t find my light”, he confessed once. “I don’t know what I see when I think about the sun. You told us to draw the image that comes to our mind, but I don’t know which is the right one. I have too many.”

“How many?” she asked, her voice softer than the pillow his mother gave him for his last birthday.

“Seven. I have them all with me.”

He nervously reached for his bag and took out carefully folded pieces of paper with messy pencil lines on them.

“It depends. Sometimes I see my powers in one way and I can’t imagine them being any different, but then some time passes and I have doubts.” He bit his lip and turned his gaze to the simple ornament of the floor tiles.

“Your magic transforms with you. And it accepts most of your calls. There’s nothing wrong with you, the opposite. You don’t take the light from the world, you bring it there.”

How long ago has it been? Perhaps about twenty years. He was still trying to understand what she meant back then, and it didn’t look like his search would end anytime soon. Yesterday, while watching the sun drown in the water and melting under Fabrizio’s gaze, he pictured it as something abstract, ethereal but so familiar, so homely. Today it was much more human.

“And much more annoying”, he quietly muttered as he rubbed his eyes when his sleep was rudely interrupted by the lights and shadows dancing on his face. He rarely slept well, but today was the exception. Was it the calmness of Fabrizio’s embrace or the man’s salty scent Ermal could still feel, but his expected nervousness didn’t come. Surely, he worried about messing up a lot, but at least his hands weren’t sweating and the powers inside him seemed serene.

This silence was a huge contrast to how fast his heart was racing. He could barely hide his excitement as he almost ran down the streets and bumped into all sorts of things and people on his way (he nearly knocked over a pot of orchids Anna was carrying, should apologise to her later). Soon the noise of the morning gossips, squeaking children and loud greetings he didn’t pay attention to (again, should apologise later, though most people are used to him always having a thousand and one things on his mind) was replaced by birds chirping and tree branches creaking as he bended them to get through the forest. Their spot was a clearing in the woods wide enough for them to train without risks of running into a tree or waking up the dangerous animals but also well hidden, so it wasn’t a well-known place and there was a slim chance of meeting anybody there.

When Ermal stepped into the light and tried to fix the mess on his head created by leaves, tree bark and _hopefully_ no bugs or caterpillars getting tangled in his curls, he heard a strange sound coming closer and closer, until everything he wanted to get rid of was washed away by a water bubble colliding with his head.

“Hey! What the hell?!” he screamed while putting his hair away from his face to see a shamelessly laughing Fabrizio. “You are so going to regret this!”

And so the great battle started. If their training place was several meters closer to the town, people from the outskirts would have already gathered to witness the bright yellow flickers and feel how the air around them became very moist. Would that be surprising? Certainly not, the spellcasters knew well what this meant, and people with other talents have already got used to “these weird magicians and their weird hobbies”. Right now Ermal’s weird hobby was throwing light orbs and making them chase Fabrizio across the meadow. Once it managed to make the water magician lose concentration and trip, but just as Ermal was ready to announce his victory, the man threw a bubble at his direction and, using a newly appeared opportunity, dragged his opponent to the ground. Lying face to face with loudly panting Fabrizio, feeling every movement of his chest and gazing into those shining brown eyes was pleasant, and feeling his hands subtly trace some lines on his back brought even more delightful sensations, but Ermal’s magic, already chaotic and asking to be let out, responded to these caresses sooner than he expected, so Ermal rolled off Fabrizio to save the last bit of his dignity.

They sparred some more until both were tired and could barely breathe. Ermal slowly stepped back while occasionally repelling the attacks of his opponent and throwing orbs that rarely hit the target. When he was about to take another step, he felt something solid against his back and realized he was standing at the edge of the clearing and behind him was a huge oak. Fabrizio’s small smile reminded more and more of a satisfied, nearly predatory smirk, the man was coming closer, and sure, Ermal could quickly turn and hide behind the tree trunk, but the look of half-lidded eyes hypnotized him. Fabrizio could make anyone freeze without using stun spells, the light magician was no exception.

“Someone is trapped, I see”, Fabrizio murmured into his ear, and Ermal held his breath. “Not now”, he silently begged his powers that were already rapidly pulsating, “please, not now.”

“Bizio…” he exhaled and tried to avert his gaze. No luck. This whirlpool was dragging him in, he had no say in it. Ermal swallowed, but even that seemed like a task too complicated for him now.

“We really should dry ourselves now”, Fabrizio laughed, his whole appearance now much softer and far less intimidating. Ermal noticed that, his magic, however, didn’t.

Fabrizio stepped away from him. Good. Then the water magician took off his shirt in one movement and hung it on the nearest oak branch.

“You know we have powers for that, right? You don’t have to take it off”, Ermal weakly complained. Any other time he wouldn’t mind such a turn of events, not at all, but today he already had a hard time controlling himself, and every little thing Fabrizio did could be the last straw.

“Yes, I know. But it's way too hot now to wear it.”

Ermal swore he heard mischievous notes in this voice. This man will be the death of him.

The water magician rested his back against the tree dangerously close to Ermal, their shoulders were touching, the warmth of Fabrizio’s skin spreading to his own, Fabrizio’s fingers brushing against his before intertwining with them.

“I missed this. The rush, the exhaustion, your face when you are startled.” Fabrizio squeezed his hand. Ermal looked down, his face resembled too much the one the other man talked about.

“Me too. I missed you.”

Saying it in the situation where he risked exposing his real feelings was brave, courageous even. Leaving a peck on Fabrizio’s cheek counted as incredibly daring but impossible to resist. The tension was too thick, it clouded his mind, it made each breath sound like thunder. Fabrizio turned to face him and embraced him, his weight pinning Ermal against the tree.

“We should do this more often”, Fabrizio whispered, and his tone was way too suggestive for these words to refer only to training.

“This?” Ermal smirked, using his remaining strength not to melt under this gaze and to make himself look calm and collected.

“Yes, this”, the water magician murmured and closed his eyes. When he opened them a moment after, there were no playful flickers in them, only a sudden sincerity and a bit of… insecurity? Or maybe it was the fault of the rosy colour of his cheeks. Why there was a reason for Fabrizio to blush? Ermal decided not to think about that now. The next thing he heard made him lose the ability to think at all.

“Stop me whenever you want, any second.”

In a couple of seconds Ermal would’ve been able to give an answer to that, perhaps an incomprehensible one but at least verbal, it would’ve taken him five seconds to form a simple “what?”, ten seconds would’ve been enough for him to process what was happening, if only Fabrizio wasn’t standing so close. He was given zero. He couldn't register when warm lips covered his own, gently touching at first until the caresses became more heated, more eager. His curls being twirled around fingers, his own hands roaming, studying the skin on Fabrizio’s back, searching for a chance to cling closer to the man. He was kissing back, lost in the sensations and the wild beating of his heart. A wave of relief washed over him, finally the fears and wishes he claimed forbidden stopped eating him inside, the panic subsided. The switch in his head turned off, muting everything that tortured his confused mind.

They parted. Kissed again. Fabrizio’s lips left a trail moving to Ermal’s neck. It was _real_. Ermal found that hard to believe at first, he needed to know for sure, he needed the proof. He fluttered his eyes open to see Fabrizio's swollen lips and so much tenderness in his gaze a human being can’t possible carry inside his soul. But that was not the only thing he saw.

Ermal’s eyes widened as he looked at what was supposed to be the sky, the grass, the trees, every detail of this familiar place disappeared. Millions of golden hearts were shielding the clearing from view, glistening, twirling around in a slow dance, all colours drowned in the infinite yellow… and blue? He blinked rapidly, but nothing had changed. Apparently noticing how still Ermal suddenly became, Fabrizio looked up at him and then at the direction Ermal was staring into.

“Blue?” a shaky intake of breath nearly made Ermal cough. His confusion was rising, and the only answer that came to his mind was way too unreal. Because he surely would've noticed the changes in Fabrizio’s behaviour, wouldn't he? And something like that is hard to conceal, that he knew better than he would like to.

“Are you that surprised? You’re not the only one losing control”, Fabrizio smirked, his fingers gently stroking Ermal’s shoulder.

“I thought it was something… unique? I've never heard of such things before, never seen them happening to anybody, and… Wait! Did you know I was struggling with it?”

Fabrizio averted his gaze and nodded.

“It was pretty obvious, if you ask me. I didn’t want to confront you, you looked too stressed about it, giving you a heart attack isn’t my greatest wish, you know?”

“Oh shut up!” Ermal laughed and jokingly pushed Fabrizio. The man’s eyes darted to the light magician's face again, the challenging look made Ermal shiver, his panic still reminded of itself from time to time.

“Shut up and kiss me, they say”, Fabrizio whispered in a low voice and leaned forward, but Ermal didn’t give him the satisfaction of being the one who kissed first again. Fabrizio’s lips had a salty taste, and Ermal wondered if it was the same for every water magician or if it was a part of Fabrizio's natural charm. What if his own lips also had a special taste? He should ask Fabri when they’ll become more comfortable with themselves and their new relationship. There will be a relationship, right? He hoped so.

“Seriously though… Why does this…” Ermal gestured at the hearts, when he had enough air in his lungs to breathe, “keep happening?”

“I’ve heard it’s a way for your powers to tell you about your own feelings when you deny them. And it usually means that the other person thinks the same about you.”

“What? Why didn’t that stupid book say this?!”

“What stupid book?” Fabrizio raised his eyebrow.

“I have it at home, I can show you.”

Fabrizio nodded and turned around to find the right path by shoving the hearts away, but Ermal caught him by the wrist.

“It’s too long. Let’s just teleport.”

Teleportation was Ermal’s least favourite thing to do. At school he could never master it properly, the major direction was right, but the devil is in the details. After falling on his teacher Ermal was banned from having teleportation classes with everyone else and had to practice in private. Since he had finished magic school he insisted on walking, and luckily, most people shared his point of view. He told everyone he was simply enjoying the nature and looking for herbs, because one never knows what he might encounter at the most unexpected moment. Nevertheless special occasions called for special measures, so Ermal had to fight his panic and pray that this time he wouldn't mess up.

The spell worked, and soon the world turned to white from yellow and blue. A second later Ermal felt something warm under his body. When he opened his eyes, he saw the walls of his room, but before he could celebrate the success, he realised that he was lying in his own bed, he was lying _on Fabrizio_. Ermal apologized and rushed out of the bed, but Fabrizio held him tightly.

“No need to be anxious. You brought us here, after all. And I get the hint.”

“There was no hint!” Ermal exclaimed, but Fabrizio only winked at him and laughed.

“Ok, whatever you say.”

Ermal got up and took the book from his table. Fabrizio, however, had no intention to move.

“Bizio, I can't show it to you, if you are lying here like this.”

“Why not?”

Ermal had nothing to object, so he sat on the bed and gave the book to Fabrizio. The man glanced at the cover and started reading, the corners of his mouth going up.

“It’s all true but a bit ridiculous. Don’t tell me you followed their advice.”

Ermal immediately snatched the book away from Fabrizio and put it back. Tomorrow he would return this little spawn of hell to the library and forget it ever existed.

“And that’s what you were scared about?” the water magician asked in a gentle voice, his fingers traveling up Ermal’s arm. “Come here.”

Ermal lay down, his head on Fabrizio’s chest, and felt the other man's heartbeat.

“I love you, and I’m serious about this. I would’ve said it sooner, but I didn’t want to scare you away”, Fabrizio whispered as he wrapped his arms around Ermal who clung closer.

“I love you too.”

The clock on the wall showed that two hours had passed since the men confessed their feelings, but neither of them wanted to get up, stop sharing kisses and lose another's warmth.

“Bizio…” Ermal whispered, saying anything louder counted as disturbing the cozy atmosphere between them. “We should choose what we want to do with the festival.”

“I don’t know”, Fabrizio said not louder than Ermal. “This year's theme is legends of this area. There are many, but all seem too distant, I never found most of them interesting.”

Legends… Ermal’s gaze darted to the book lying on the table in loneliness, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

“I think I know one that won’t feel distant…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of festival approaches.

Zero days until the festival.

It was only two in the afternoon, but the streets were already filled with people rushing to get the best spots near the stage in the huge round clearing in the forest, much bigger than the one Ermal and Fabrizio claimed their training place. The two magicians decided to take a longer path to have some peace and quiet before they are to be put in the middle of the festivities, loud music, no less loud noise of merchants shouting about how amazing their goods are. Fabrizio’s fingers were sliding up and down Ermal’s hand, and his weak complaints sounded too unsure and shy for the water magician to stop touching him. In the past week they got so used to each other’s magic that Ermal could feel salty waves calling for him, murmuring sweet words at every little caress of a hand that was always just a tiny bit wetter than anybody else’s, something barely noticeable to anyone who didn’t spend minutes that seemed like years kissing the black tattooed letters on each of Fabrizio’s fingers.

“You are glowing again”, the water magician nodded at their linked hands and grinned. Ermal looked down and indeed saw flickers of yellow light crawling up from the tips of his fingers to Fabrizio’s arm, encircling it, drawing whimsical patterns.

“It’s because you are here”, he winked at the other man. Fabrizio smirked and let go of his hand only to put his arm around Ermal’s waist and pull the light magician closer. The mix of Fabri’s perfume and the sea scent made Ermal’s head a little dizzy, and the morning they spent lying together, listening to each other’s heartbeat and experiencing the most wonderful feeling ever when their powers intertwined and tangled in each other, seemed too short. A lingering kiss was the only thing he wished for, yet he had to put such thoughts aside, as they were approaching the marble arch decorated with various flowers, bells that greeted the passing winds with warm giggles, and symbols of every kind of power possible to exist. Ermal found a shining sun, a small figure made of brass and a touch of magic. He put his hand on the sun’s wistful face and closed his eyes. A good luck ritual, one he was slightly sceptical about but performed anyway, as a reminder of the cozy family nights when his mother told her children about stars, him and Sabina were trying to make the white light orbs resemble the constellations while Rinald was drawing the indigo sky illuminated by hundreds of lights. Wisps that could always lead any of them home. Freckles on the face of the sky. Just as beautiful as Fabrizio’s.

When Ermal opened his eyes, he saw the other magician perform the same ritual near the sign similar to a drop of crystal water. Fabrizio’s lips were moving, as if he was chanting or praying to the deep waters. Ermal wouldn't call himself skillful at reading lips, but one movement was awfully familiar, Fabrizio mouthed his name this way. Feeling how his heart was fluttering, Ermal turned away and did his best at stopping the blush from creeping up.

As they entered the gate and after a peaceful journey through the narrow forest paths, stairs carved in stones and an old pretty unreliable (to Fabrizio’s standards) bridge reached the clearing, they were met by a group of little kids who excitedly greeted them and offered them flowers, ribbons and other insignificant but nevertheless very cute things that never failed to bring out the holiday spirit in Ermal. He reached out and took the sunflower from one of the girls. She giggled and turned to all her friends wondering if they saw that the magician chose her flower.

“I had no doubt you’d pick this one.” Fabrizio put a hand on Ermal’s shoulder.

“They are not my most favourite, but today is about my powers. And I’ll probably give this one to grandma when she arrives. She believes they help her stay close to me”, Ermal sighed and carefully stroked the yellow petals. His whole family was coming to see him, to cheer for him. He should make them proud.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind getting something else”, Fabrizio grinned, there was something intriguing in his tone, but Ermal didn’t have time to process that, as his hand was grabbed and he was led through the diverse crowd to a child holding a huge basket with colourful objects Ermal couldn't identify yet. However, he could easily identify the boy. Libero waved at them, almost dropping the basket, and then tried to get out of his father’s tight grip.

“Dad, we agreed you won’t do this!” the boy complained as he tried to comb his hair with his hand after Fabrizio had ruffled it.

“Ok, ok. What can you offer us?” Fabrizio gestured at the basket.

Libero turned serious and carefully started taking various flower crowns out of the basket. Ermal swore he couldn’t name half of these flowers.

“I’ll take that one, the one that's blue and yellow.” With these words Fabrizio winked at Ermal and put a crown on his head.

“Bizio!” Ermal elbowed him and glared. That was too obvious, people already think they are together, with them holding hands and wearing their colours…

“Would you like the same one? I think it could be a good statement”, the water magician teased again. “Though the dandelion one looks nice too”, he quickly added, perhaps noticing Ermal’s panicked expression. Ermal wished there was a mirror so he could see how badly he had already exposed himself.

“Yes, I’ll have it. Bluebells and buttercups, right?”

Libero nodded and handed Ermal the flower crown. Each magician fished a coin out of his pocket and put it in the small purse hung on the boy’s shoulder.

After chatting with the boy and getting interrupted by an elderly couple who had some troubles with choosing the colours that would match their outfits, Ermal and Fabrizio were wandering between different little stores and tents, trying to avoid big crowds and each other’s eyes.

“Never took Libero as the type to enjoy flowers”, Ermal said as an awkward attempt to break the silence between them. Even with the irritating cacophony of voices and music everything felt dull and numb. Besides, he truly was interested in the reason Libero applied for such an unexpected job.

“He isn’t. He just wants to be more independent and earn his own pocket money. I don’t mind, maybe he'll buy something nice for himself and Anita here.”

“Speaking of Anita, where’s she?”

“She’s with Giada now, they are watching the puppet play. Should be there for another half an hour, then everyone will gather around the stage, I assume.”

“Bizio…”

“M?” Fabrizio turned his head and stared into Ermal’s eyes. This look was too much, too distracting, Ermal forgot all the words that he so desperately wanted to say. He blinked a few times to gain composure and focused on his breathing.

“When are we going to tell the kids?”

Fabrizio flinched, on instinct he moved his hand to touch his forehead. Ermal could almost here the intruder alert sounds at the magician’s head. Fabrizio wasn’t a fan of telepathy, a sudden word said as if it was whispered directly into his ear startled him. Normally Ermal would laugh at the protective stance Fabrizio took, but today his nerves blocked the ability to relax. Not the best gift for the main holiday.

“Don’t you do that ever again, you hear me?”

Ermal nearly jumped as well, when his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“And the kids…” Fabrizio continued. “When you are ready, we’ll do it. I think it would be wise to tell Giada first, so she’ll know what's going on.”

Ermal hesitantly nodded. This didn’t make his anxiety disappear, but it was the best he could have at this exact moment, and he accepted that.

“You’re already like a family to them. We’ll only get rid of the ‘like’. We'll talk about this more when you want.”

“Tomorrow?” Ermal asked, he couldn't bear any more important discussions today, but postponing them to an uncertain time would only increase his fears, both rational and not.

“Tomorrow, ok”, Fabrizio gave him an encouraging nod. “And now can we speak like normal people?”

“Good idea, you’re already always on my mind, can’t have you inside it for too long as well”, Ermal giggled. Once he had gotten used to it, making Fabrizio blush became his new hobby. And so far he couldn’t imagine ever getting enough of it.

***

“I don’t see them. Do you?”

Ermal was standing at the edge of the clearing, on a small stone. Frankly speaking, the view from it wasn’t much better than from the ground level, but he needed the satisfaction of doing his best too much to admit it. Colourful outfits, many flowers in people’s hands, on their bags, on their hats, the only difference between the huge crowd and a flower field was that the field didn’t move in all imaginable directions at once. Looking for four people without knowing how they were dressed and at which part of the clearing they were supposed to be was a deadly mission. Right now Ermal was dying from anxiety, but he was sure his demise would find him in another form. Stage fright in proportions he never expected it to be or a random issue with his abilities, he didn’t want to specify.

“If you lean forward like this, you’re going to fall. And I’d gladly carry you to the stage, but the last time I offered to do that, you declined rather furiously”, Fabrizio said with an unamused tone, referring to the night at the sea the memory of which still made Ermal’s face turn either pale or red, depending on how many people were nearby. Now there was only one person, so Ermal was positive his cheeks now had a nice blush. Stupid emotions, he’ll become a chameleon soon with this stress.

“You aren’t even looking where I asked you to”, he complained, hoping it would turn Fabrizio’s attention away from the colour of his cheeks.

“I’m looking for your safety. By the way, why don’t you just use the crystal instead of staring into the void?”

What?

“You know you could have told me sooner”, Ermal muttered before jumping from the stone. Before his feet found solid ground, he had been caught by strong tattooed arms. A new sharp remark had already been prepared for this special occasion, but Fabrizio’s hot breath on his neck and a giggle stopped the words altogether.

After freeing himself Ermal wrapped his fingers around the crystal and sent a simple message, asking his mother where she was. Soon they found their way around the market to the bookstore where Andrea was showing some new spellbook to Sabina. Their excited chatter could’ve been heard from a mile away, if it wasn’t for the noise level today.

“Took you long enough.” Rinald was the first one to notice his brother and embraced him. “Oh, Fabri, good to see you! It's been ages!”

“Fabri!” Sabina immediately joined the hug, to a slight disappointment of Andrea who had almost managed to sell her the book. “Where’s my little princess? I brought her something.”

“ Oh, she’s with Giada now. And you didn’t have to…”

“Nonsense.”

The greetings were said, the overly excited small talk had come to an end, Fabrizio was still being interrogated by Ermal’s grandmother who wanted to know everything that happened to Anita and Libero in the past two years she had been out of town, and Ermal was trying to find a suitable moment to excuse himself and free Fabrizio, so they could go backstage. He almost jumped when a hand was put on his shoulder.

“Ermal?”

His mother’s voice was one of the few sources of comfort he could always rely on. As a child he got to sleep only when she was telling him something, not fairytales, because eventually they had an ending, but stories from her childhood and her early life, sometimes even those grandma didn’t know about. She came to visit him once in a couple of months, and he traveled to Bari to celebrate the most important holidays with his family, but it wasn’t an effective remedy for his longing. Apparently she knew, and so she held him tightly and fought her tears for his cheeks to stay dry, although he noticed it every single time. _She missed him too._

“Did something happen? I sensed some mixed energy from you.”

He wanted to say it was a side effect of experimenting with his powers for the performance but bit his tongue. Such a cheap lie, especially when these caring concerned eyes were studying every feature on his face.

“I had some issues with my magic, but it’s all fine now. I figured out what to do.”

“With help from a certain someone, I assume?” his mother subtly nodded at Fabrizio who was now thanking Rinald for a football Meta family got for Libero.

“Yes, he… he knows a lot about these things?”

Ermal mentally cursed himself for panicking. After all, this was just a simple question, he could play dumb and pretend not to hear the teasing in his mother's voice.

“There’s nothing to be scared about, trust me”, she smiled, the teasing long gone and replaced with a mixture of seriousness and softness. And he believed her.

***

“Deep breaths. Everything will be fine. You’ve been preparing for this. You have Bizio by your side. Deep breaths. Everything will be…”

“You okay?”

“What? Ah, yes. Yes, I am. Just… nerves.”

“Come sit with me? Pacing around would do you no good.”

Ermal sighed and sat on the couch in their dressing room. They’ve already got into their costumes (doing a very bad job at not staring at each other) and now waited for someone to tell when their turn to rehearse was. Too many questions were running through Ermal’s head, but no thought was concrete enough to form it into words.

Fabrizio put his arm around Ermal’s shoulders and gently pulled the other man closer, so Ermal’s head was resting on Fabrizio’s chest. Fingers found their way into the mane of curls, twirling each one around, stroking until the corners of the light magician’s mouth turned up.

“Your heart is beating so fast”, Ermal whispered while tracing the black lines on Fabrizio’s hand. Something about this ink fascinated him, he wanted to kiss every single centimeter of tattooed skin. And then the clean skin too.

“Yours does too”, Fabrizio put his hand on Ermal’s chest, and the familiar tingling startled the light magician. They had already figured out how to solve this problem, can the last remnants of it just leave him alone?

“We’re prepared. Nothing will go wrong”, Fabrizio murmured and put a curl away from Ermal’s forehead before softly kissing his head.

Ermal gasped and in that second a single yellow heart emerged into the air. It went up, reached the ceiling and after a few unsuccessful tries to get higher started circling around the room. Ermal’s eyes followed every movement of his creation, he had never properly observed this form of magic before, and it looked way more independent and conscious than he had thought at first. It seemed to have a mind of his own. He was curious if more contact with this energy would bring him answers to its actual nature.

“Guys, it’s your time to rehearse! Oh wow…” the door opened, and a young woman with a lot of papers and scribbles in her hands called out for them. With her frantic look and abnormally quickly speech she resembled a little hurricane more than a person. Perhaps in some way she was one, as Ermal sensed a vague presence of air magic in the room and the soft blow of the wind that wasn’t there before. Although observing a stranger wasn’t the worst pastime, he had other concerns now, also known as saving himself and Fabri (however, something told him the other man didn’t need saving) from embarrassment.

“We’ve already started rehearsing. It takes forever to wait in here”, he shrugged.

“That was smooth”, Fabrizio grinned, when the door of the rehearsal room closed behind them and Ermal could finally breathe freely.

“Well, _someone_ had to be helpful and do something.”

“So I’m not helpful now, mmmm?” Fabrizio stepped closer, putting Ermal between his body and the wall without a chance to escape.

“No, when you are staring at me like that, you don’t. And as much as I would like to continue this _conversation_ ”, Ermal smirked, putting enormous effort to look confident and not let his gaze dart from Fabrizio’s burning eyes to his lips, “we should get to work.”

Fabrizio stepped back, letting satisfied Ermal move past him as if nothing had just happened. Ermal laughed, finally he wasn’t the one being confused.

***

The first thing Ermal heard when he took his first step to the stage that seemed a lot smaller than last year despite being the same was the chaotic sound of applause. In his adolescent years filled with concerts and performances of all sorts he used to fear the loud clapping, it was too frantic, too unrhythmic, he couldn’t help but imagine a wild beast roaring at him before attacking. Although the immediate panic at any sudden loud tune had long passed, shivers were still crawling down his arms and his hands were shaking. He closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the sounds carefully until they started resembling rocking of the waves in the sea that threw themselves on the sand to reach his feet and tickle them with the unexpected touch of cold. It was easier to believe when Fabrizio’s fingers were drawing circles and something similar to the sun symbol on his trembling hand. And for the first time Ermal found harmony in the applause.

They took their positions at each side of the stage and nodded at each other with a smile. Fabrizio seemed slightly concerned for him, but he radiated happiness, and Ermal let himself be carried away by this energy, almost as familiar as his own, embracing him.

“What can you see around you? Trees praying to grow stronger, grass talking to the wind, colourful clothing worn by the person standing next to you? It wasn't always like this”, Ermal started speaking, his eyes gazing at the crowd, searching for nobody at particular but wanting to have attention of every single person standing there. A few orbs with captured lights of different hues danced in front of him, glowing so brightly it would blind him if he wasn’t the bearer of light himself. From the corner of his eye he saw the piano on the other side of the stage and heavy drops of water falling on its keys with the right pressure to make music. A soft melody embraced Ermal, letting him bathe in its fragility. Fabrizio underestimated his piano skills for sure or he was too humble.

“Many years ago, at a time we don’t have a name for, there was only blackness. Thick suffocating darkness embracing the universe like a blanket for those in a deep sleep. No world but a maze with no escape, where the lost ones wandered without a purpose and without hope. Until the Sun was born.”

Ermal made a gesture, and the orbs disappeared within a short moment, the lights illuminating the square slowly faded away, and the world entered the state of complete darkness. Then after a few seconds when Ermal could hear only the beating of his heart and his deep breaths he created the large orb of yellow light and blew on it to make it fly. The little sun lit up the stage, the ebony curtains Giada made specially for their performance, the face of the man standing opposite Ermal, the man staring at the orb with fascination, looking so magnificent in his blue suit. The man who continued the story.

“The Sun traveled through the world, seeing only shades of black and white, no other colour in sight. It saddened the Sun, it looked down without trying to find any difference from the usual grey. A touch of yellow sparkling on crests of the waves made the Sun curious, it stopped to stare at the waters playing with the flickers.”

The gentle sound of rocking waves filled the square, as water flowed on the stage from Fabrizio's side, covering only the space near the black curtains, so the orb reflected in it.

Ermal felt his heart fluttering in his chest. The most significant part was about to begin.

“The Sun gazed down at the Sea and felt the presence of another force, as strong and lonely as it. Captivated by the Sea, it moved closer to the surface and touched the waters. The drops of water melted like traces of salty tears on the cheeks, and since that fateful moment the Sun could never separate itself from the Sea. Every second it shone, its rays reaching the waters as soft kisses.”

The orb illustrated every word, moving closer to the waves and then further away only to come back again. It reminded Ermal of himself leaving lingering pecks on Fabrizio’s cheeks when nobody could see them except the buttercups in the vase on the windowsill of Ermal’s room. He looked at the other magician, and as their eyes met, Fabrizio spoke again, not averting his gaze until it was Ermal’s turn to tell the legend.

“The Sea needed the Sun, needed with every drop. It treasured every little kiss, but they weren’t enough. It longed to see its lover every second, the waves crashed on the shore, touching the sand to feel the warmth of the Sun. Heavy dark clouds angered the Sea, it screamed at them, and they flew away in fear. Sometimes the clouds cried, and as the Sea swallowed their tears, it gazed at the sky, wondering how soon it would be reunited with its beloved.”

Ermal smiled as his face was being splashed by the waves growing bigger but still not being able to reach the sky. Now his mind offered another pictures or rather, sensations, since during these moments his eyes were usually closed. He imagined the salty taste of Fabrizio's lips on his, the tenderness of their late night kisses, and almost forgot about the story. With a sigh he directed the orb towards the waters.

“One day the Sun couldn’t bear the longing and fell from the sky to drown in the caresses of the Sea. In the tight embrace they lay together without a care in the world. A lonely fisherman on an old boat was the only witness of their love.”

Thousands of tiny lights, each not bigger than a grain of sand, twirled around to form a picture of a man holding an oar. The orb was surrounded by water and shone brighter than ever before.

“The Sea didn’t want to let go”, Fabrizio said. “But it didn’t have a choice.”

Fabrizio made a step forward, looking at Ermal.

“The Sun promised that every night it would drown in the waters and be together with its beloved until the last star closed its eyes.”

Ermal stepped forward as well. Fabrizio spoke again, his words much gentler now.

“And when the Sun said its bittersweet goodbye and emerged from the waters, the waves followed it till it was too high for them to reach.”

“The Sun looked down and noticed that its way was marked by a colourful trail, the trail becoming wider and painting the sky blue.”

“It painted the sand yellow and the leaves green, it touched the fur of animals and the skin of people, it dyed the blood red, it dyed the ground brown. And at last the Sea gazed at the sky and turned blue.”

“The narrow stripe of different shades crossed the sky like the eternal bond between the Sun and the Sea.”

“Between those who brought colour into the world.”

Three. Two. One.

Ermal focused on the pulsating magic and raised his hands. Yellow and blue hearts covered the stage, mixed with one another, and while the two magicians were out of sight, they shared a kiss.

“Are you ready?” Fabrizio whispered between little kisses.

Ermal only nodded, his voice too weak to say anything.

A rainbow appeared on the night sky, sparkling, outshining even the brightest stars. The hearts were floating in the air, but Ermal and Fabrizio didn’t care anymore. They stood in the centre of the stage, hugging each other and whispering sweet nothings both probably wouldn't remember in ten minutes. Fabrizio was giggling in Ermal’s ear, murmuring something about all the effort being worth it and about how perfect Ermal looked while casting spells.

The sounds of applause didn’t scare Ermal this time, he couldn't tell when he started hearing it. He turned to the audience, still holding Fabrizio’s hand. He found his family in the crowd and shared a soft smile with them. His mother had tears in her eyes, Rinald had an arm around her, trying to calm her down, while Sabina was helping their grandmother find a tissue. Marco, Anna and Andrea waved at him, so did Libero and Anita. Giada nodded at him and giggled when Fabrizio started blowing kisses to everyone he knew and didn’t know.

“Are you happy?” the water magician asked Ermal, when they went off the stage, never letting go of each other’s hand.

“Yes, and it's all because of you.”

“Because of us.”

Ermal leaned on Fabrizio and kissed his cheek, when an arm was wrapped around his waist. Zero days until the festival. No other important date in sight, instead there would be many days of spellcasting, late night swims, training, hanging out with Libero and Anita, bearing with the teasing of his friends, finally being with his family, figuring out what was next for him, _for them._ Many days spent with Fabrizio, mornings to wake up next to him, sunrises and sunsets to meet together, nights to gaze at the stars, to gain courage and at last tell Bizio what they make him think of. Time to stop counting.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you leave me a comment, I'll die happy  
> You can scream at me at my tumblr hellhole @enter-the-bear-circle


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